A\N: Usually in mangas with game systems or Isekai settings we see a status screen showing stats like Strength, Speed, Durability, and what not in numbers where you increase with skill points or whatnot. But if I tried to give a number to Yamcha power just like that it may not be that easy to make a scale, so maybe instead of stats how about, we showcase his Power Level along the journey? Until it becomes redundant I suppose.
After waking up on what seemed to be a mysterious land, the martial artist known as Yamcha saved a girl named Annie from a boar looking creature covered in metal, who in turn was trying to attack her. Even though his head felt a bit foggy and dizzy he tried asking her if he could accompany her to the nearest city and maybe take up from there to decide what to do with his situation.
When that turned out better than expected, they were now walking by the road who was mostly rough soil and pavement right ahead, sure the scene of him lifting a heavily plated animal was not the most normal thing to see around those parts.
"So...you're not an adventurer" Annie asked while walking.
"No, I'm not" He answered simply and truthfully.
She thought for a moment, could he perhaps be a noble? Usually, those with a higher upbringing had the best paths for success and power thanks to their family name providing money and influence. But this man's appearance didn't look like he was one, not that she was being rude or anything but he felt more like the kind of guy with a free spirit, and being chained down with titles would not be his best interest, that's what she thinks.
"I'm just a…"
One second and a half was the time he took to question what exactly he was, almost like the sensation of doubt lingered in his throat, maybe this was just a result of fatigue and some rest was all it needed.
"I'm a fighter. I train a lot to make myself stronger and I enjoy fighting"
"Is that so? Not like I didn't see it with my own eyes but, you seem to be pretty strong Yamcha-Kun" Annie said looking at him interested.
This casual yet warming praise of what he was capable of made him give off a smile from it. It wasn't that big of a deal, it was just a wild beast surely it's not impossible to beat it right?
*GROWWWLL~~*
Then it hit him that this stomach was rumbling in protest for the lack of nutrients that was currently requiring it.
"Oof! Looks like hunger is finally catching on to me" Yamcha said with a small grin.
"After all that, you must be pretty hungry huh? But try to hold on for a little longer ok? We're almost there" She said with a hint of pleading in her tone, like making him wait was bad manners after saving her.
"It's ok. Say...why don't you explain to me what adventurers are and what they do? It would be a good way to speed up time" He asked, feeling a bit curious about it.
"Oh! Sure, I still remember a few things they told me when I first started, but here are the basics. First of all, adventurers are individuals registered under the name of an Adventurer's Guild, who undertake quests offered from it and complete them in exchange for a monetary reward" She explained with a teacher-like tone.
"Huh...so it's like a job where you do a lot of different kinds of missions. Are they dangerous?" Yamcha inquired.
"It depends on the nature and fatality of these requests, they can vary in many cases like monster subjugation or escorting someone important, there are also investigations which need a more subtle approach. All to ensure that the adventurers are fairly compensated, there is a bare minimum sum that has to be offered by the poster of the said quest"
"Sounds fair and easy to understand, thanks for explaining that to me"
"No problem, but you should ask more questions to the Guild staff instead. I'm just repeating what I was told, and they explain far better anyway" She said that with a carefree smile.
"I think you explained well enough though" He affirmed
After that, the two just walked together in silence for the time being. From time to time Annie would give Yamcha a few glances while the young man seemed to be a bit lost in his thoughts, his features showing a long story.
'Where did he come from? It feels like such a mystery the more I think about it. Managing to defeat a C-rank monster like that with no problem, and with his bare fists even! Only the most accomplished of adventurers could do that, but his name...I never heard of it, it sounds unique and it doesn't even come up in any of the registry books as far as I remember'
Her curiosity just keeps creeping up wanting answers, where did that guy come from? Why was he so strong? Her line of thought was fuming on wanting to know more.
'Plus, he seems to be more humble than most who come through town. They are always boasting at the Guild, telling about their so-called heroic missions and kills! It's quite bothersome, most of it are lies, and Yet this guy...no boasting whatsoever! And he hasn't even heard of Guilds before, what is he?!'
When they arrived through the forest, it soon came to view a town surrounded by thick walls made of solid rock material that surrounded all sides, right ahead was a big gate where some guardsmen wearing light medieval armor and spears for weapons were positioned.
When trying to enter the guardsmen were somewhat shocked and suspicious to see a man they never saw before holding on to the metal beast. Annie told them to calm down and that the man with her was a friend that helped her out in a dangerous situation and just wanted to come into town to get his new guild card since he lost the old one in mid-battle.
Yamcha raised his eyebrow for a moment at the lie she had told them, but if that meant he was going to get inside without too much of a fuss thanks to her knowing how to talk with the inhabitants then maybe it was an innocent bending of the fact.
Once inside the man started to look around the city, finding the environment to be different then what he was expecting, he didn't pay much attention to certain details when entering the city, but after a few seconds, it clicked to him...There wasn't only humans inhabiting that place, but also some human-like beings that seemingly had...animal characteristics like fluffy ears, fur, and tail in their bodies.
"Where are we?" He asked in a curious tone.
"Welcome to Maphe City! Located on the Human Kingdom Geatha" Annie said with pride.
At first, seeing half-human, half-animal beings milling about the town made him feel surprised but...for some reason, he wasn't as shocked as he should have been? It felt somewhat...familiar, almost like he had seen all of it before but not sure why.
He thought 'Hmmm...I have a feeling that this should be way more surprising, and yet I feel myself seeing this almost like it's not so much of a big deal, have I dealt with this before?' Said martial artist looked at Annie and asked "So...nice little town you got here''
"Yeah...we better hurry inside though"
"Why?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Everyone is looking at us" Annie sweatdropped remembering him that the latter was lifting a big steel-plated boar.
"Oh...I guess so"
Looking everywhere while following Lily he notices the appearance of the buildings passing by, the man tries to remember about the aesthetics of places he went before, images of large and bigger places came to mind, with a different kind of structure and full of people...but he didn't know any of them, it felt more random than an actual memory.
To put it simply, the place he currently is was interesting and it gave off the vibe of a somewhat exotic environment maybe because he never went to a place that looked like that? After a few minutes, they approached a larger building across the street, it had the sign of an Arrow surrounded by the drawn lines of what could be described as the wind blowing.
The name Wind shooter stamped right down below the drawing.
"Shall we get inside?" Annie said a bit sheepish.
"Sure, no need beating around the bush"
Once the duo moves inside, every single pair of eyes almost instantaneously goes at them...and by that I mean the scar-faced dude. Whispers of confusion and gasps of surprise could be heard with each of their steps; there were all kinds of beings in the establishment, from short and bulky armored men to tall and slender females with pointy ears.
There were some Yamcha who didn't know if they were human or perhaps a different race? But alas to stare at it for long would be rude and awkward. no matter how curious.
'Wow...look at all these people' He thought, interested.
"I'm back!" Annie said pumping her fist in the air "Another day alive"
When She said that someone right ahead behind a balcony turned around to see the familiar face of the girl that approached and a bit more.
"Ah Annie, welcome back-EEEEHHHH?"
Yamcha sees what seemed to be a young boy, probably in his teen years, wearing some fancy-looking clothes that someone like an attendant would use, his face features made him look a bit effeminate but it was a male. He had brown shoulder-length hair with bangs that reached down from the side of his temples stretching outwards the sides of his face, the most interesting feature was his long rabbit ears.
'Huh...that's neat' Yamcha thought with a blank face but more into it then one may think.
"What the! Is that…" The person started looking very surprised.
"Nice to see you too Lapin...well...you see this is kind of hard to explain" She tried to think of a good way to explain.
"This thing over here tried to attack her so I beat it up"
Yamcha said that as casually as possible which still made everyone in the guild to stop drinking and pay attention to what he was saying, some of them started mumbling things like...it was a lie and he was making that up, maybe it was already half-dead and he was just trying to look cool...then again he brought that monster in his arms, that no easy feat unless you have muscles to back up.
It was an understandable possibility.
Under the intense gazes of most of the patrons in the guild, he feels a bit nervous. It's not like he was intimidating or anything, but all this attention made him feel a bit awkward. Did he do that much of a big deal that deserved so many stares?
He thought 'I don't get why everyone is staring at me, everyone here seems to be strong enough to put down a pig right?'
Eventually, he didn't pay any mind to it anymore, instead, he was wondering about when his head would stop feeling so foggy, it's like something had struck him in the skull and it was now a puzzle where the pieces were falling slowly. But for the moment put it aside as he looked to the patrons in the complex.
After a moment a few of the patrons started to give him a few cheers, some would say he did a good job dealing with that troublesome thing, while others were still having their doubts about the veracity of said fact if they didn't say it with their own eyes.
Suddenly a woman approached him, she was wearing an outfit that revealed a bit of her body but also better to move around. She had pink short hair and curious eyes, she declared "All Drinks are all on the house for the next hour, in honor of the one Annie is with since he has done something cool! Thank you stranger"
"Eh? She can do that?" Annie asked.
Lapin sighs "Noo! She can't...Let's just move to my office, I need you to tell me a bit more about this"
"That was nothing, I just did what I had to, you know?" Yamcha blushes a little.
Said young lady went to Yamcha, being a bit coy and flirty as she brushed up against him. This caused the martial artist to blush at the sudden lack of personal space. That made Annie frown deeply at the sudden intrusion from the woman as well.
She asked the desert bandit "What's your name, good looking?"
"Oh! I…"
He was trying to say something but then Annie grabbed his arm "I'm sorry but Yamcha-Kun needs to have a little conversation with the staff now so he can't talk too long" She said with a calm yet stern voice.
"Tch! You're always getting on my fun" The Girl said before backing off.
After that, they had to let the body of the boar in a separate room area and talk about what to do with it later. Yamcha and Lily went to the staff room to talk with the receptionist Lapin for the time being since he told them the Guild master was out in some other job.
"Ok, now that we are alone can anyone explain to me what this is all about?"
"Long story short? I was surprised by a monster who was not supposed to be in that area and this fellow here helped me, showing a surprising amount of skill when dealing with it" The blue-haired girl said "By the way, this guy here with the little kid face is Lapin" Annie said pointing her finger.
"Who are you calling a kid!?" Lapin shouted.
"Nice yo meet you, my name is Yamcha"
"Likewise. Say I never saw you around here before, if it's not too much to ask can you tell me where you came from?" Lapin asked curiously.
"Really? You're gonna ask that? Such a boring question, you out to ask something more interesting" Annie smirked in a teasing fashion.
"Hey! That is important information" He retorted.
The question was simple, all he had to say is where he came from...however when the scar-faced man started thinking about an answer things seemed complicated for him, what was home anyway? A place which he stuck around for too long?
"I don't have...a fixed place to live. I'm more like always walking wherever I might end up you know? It's been so long I kind of forgot where I used to live" He said wishing they would not ask for more details, inadvertently making a serious face.
"Eep!" Lapin was a bit afraid.
"Ah! That is so mysterious, I think it is cool" Lily said with interest.
Lapin's nose twitched as he said "Well, that is not... entirely unusual. I have heard from some other Guilds that they have members who don't have a place to live, are running away from something, or just wandering about. So... you don't have an inkling on where you live?"
Yamcha thought hard, and it showed on his face. He remembered flashes of large rocky columns that had openings, natural and surrounded by sand. He also had a flash insight on the figure of something….like a floating cat? But couldn't remember the name or how it sounded like, only the shadowy figure. After some time, he opened his eyes and looked at Lapin and Lily.
He answered "I remember the desert landscape and caverns. But other than that, nothing"
The rabbit boy thought for a moment, then nodded his head "Hey, it's okay. I think you may have amnesia or something, maybe it will come back after experiencing certain things in your daily life"
"I do? I mean...I remember a lot of things but..hmm" He started thinking.
Annie looked to him and inquired "Well! Now that we got that out of the way! Do you think he can become a Member here?" She seemed very eager for Yamcha to be part of the guild, the hopeful smile on her face that much apparent.
The desert bandit looked to her and asked " A member? You mean one of those adventurers you told me?" He asked.
"Yeah! That's right, I think you would fit right in since you're so strong. It's also a good way to make a profit you know? Your skills would be put to good use" Annie asked looking at him almost in a begging manner.
"Hmm...you make a good point. I do like training a lot and I know how to fight. I can feel it in my bones" He said rubbing his head.
"Awesome! I bet you can beat up any monster that shows up" She said happily.
"Hey, Annie don't you think you're overestimating him a bit too much?" Lapin said not buying that sudden faith in the man that showed up out of nowhere.
"Oh! I also wanted to ask one thing, I understand the meaning of the word monster but...what exactly are monsters?"
The duo snapped their necks to look at him like he had grown three heads, making the martial artist look perplexed at the sudden attention.
"You don't know?" They asked at the same time.
"Ahn... I mean a better explanation would be better then just my interpretation don't you think?" He acts a bit embarrassed.
"Well...where do I start? Ok, I tell it in a more in-depth way. First of all, we have the monsters who are naturally born in this world by breeding with their respective partners, you know? A natural way of things but they are still dangerous wild beasts"
Yamcha nods showing that he was paying attention.
"But there are also mysterious magical monsters who emerge from different paths such as the festering on the thick miasma of negative energy if you prefer, that is lingering in the air and earth. It condenses to such a degree they can show up anywhere be it a forgotten ruin or deadly forests" Lapin explained.
'Magic?' The fighter thought, really interested in the word.
"There are also strong and powerful monsters who live in dungeons and leave drops, but that is something to tell later. Beings created from the evil energy of miasma are different from natural monsters since most of them will almost immediately throw themselves into a front attack at anything they see. Almost like they hate everything that is well...alive, some are so dangerous they leave a trail of death and destruction behind" Lily said looking all gloom.
Yamcha paid attention to every word they were saying, it appears monsters came in many different shapes and the types would also depend on how dangerous they would be. But be it natural or not, you can't underestimate a wild beast, they could still surprise you, evolve in a way, and become stronger.
"If I join will there be jobs where I will end up fighting some monsters?" He asked almost like hopping for it.
"Eh? Well...yeah there is always the possibility of monsters showing up in the middle of a mission that has nothing about monsters" Lapin said.
"Sounds like a lot of fun! Ok, then I will join you guys" The guy said full of energy.
"Fun? It's dangerous! I don't get why some adventurers are so needy to face danger head-on" Lapin said with a sigh.
"Don't spoil his fun, how about we go eat something? I remember you said you were hungry" Annie said.
"Yes and I still am, can we talk about this later once I eat something? Oh...wait I don't have any money"
"Don't worry, I will pay you a meal and once we are done with your registration you can sell that monster you defeated and get some money" The girl said in a carefree tone.
"Wow really? Thanks for that, hope I am not bothering"
"I still can't believe the story I just heard, but the fact that something like that monster was around here still stands, we will properly investigate the area later. I will give you a shirt to put on since you seem to be lacking one" Lapin said, rubbing his head a bit tired.
"Yeah! Thanks a bunch, man" Yamcha said with a smile.
He appreciated what Annie has done for him, both with the food and the explanation. Sure Lapin was a bit uptight and a stickler for the rules, but it was still a bit early to be judging him so he just let it be. One shirt and conversation later he was now waiting for the food while remembering what was told to him about the formation of the monster group.
'Hmmm...monsters that are born naturally. And others created by magic and miasma...what is miasma though? And others that seem to be a different class altogether? This sounds interesting, maybe I should take a look up more before taking any mission to get me some money'
The desert bandit also wondered what kind of food they served in the place. He looked around to see the various members, human and demi-human... as it was told that's the correct way to say, we're talking and having fun in their way.
All there was to do now was to wait for the food and drink Annie had recommended it to him.
"Here you go, hope you enjoy it" Annie said bringing a plate for him rather than someone who worked there.
"What is this?" He asked about the smell of the dish and its aroma.
"Steak from a horned rabbit. The meat is fried and then seasoned with salt and pepper, they also used herbs for that special touch, the meat is like super tender" She explained to him with good nature "There is also Wildberry Juice, its sweet and a bit tangy"
Looking at the food in front of him Yamcha did not grumble or looked suspicious at it, just taking the fork and knife, casually bringing a slice to his mouth after cutting...she was right, it tasted really good so it was no surprise to see him ordering three more of those before eating all of the meat, herbs, crumbs, everything!
It was like at any given time there would be no more need for a fork and knife and he would just use his own hands leaving the plates spotless, the juice and texture were greatly enjoyed, of course, he didn't want to eat too much. The money used was not his anyway; the drink wetted his throat just the right amount, indeed sweet and refreshing.
"Phew...now that revitalizes me" He said rubbing his belly and smiling.
"Heh! You sure can eat, the food disappeared in the blink of an eye" She chuckled.
"Yeah! This tasted good, I could probably go for more but I prefer to use my own money next time" Yamcha said now feeling great for being full.
"Then maybe we should make your registration already" She said putting her hands on the table.
"You seem to be eager for this huh?" Yamcha looked at her energetic vibe.
"Of course, not only did you saved me I also saw how strong you are, maybe I will be witnessing the start of a legend"
"Eh? Legend? You're exaggerating a bit don't you think?" He said, not knowing if he was worthy of the title.
"Nah I'm sure of it, also I would love to stay longer but I have to leave right now. Tell me later how it went once we meet here again ok?"
The beautiful young lady then walked away leaving the scar-faced individual there all by himself, well all by the others he didn't know as well as her this far. The only thing left to do was that registration thing and get this job, after all, he can't depend on the goodwill of his new friend to pay for everything he ends up needing, he was no leecher.
A few minutes later after Talking to Lapin in the reception of the Guild, nothing too difficult to do just ordinary information such as name, age, height, etc. When it came to skills or what he was good at, he just put on a fighter.
"Here you go"
Lapin gives Yamcha a pendant with a small metallic copper plate with his information engraved on it, it also has something like...Rank 8.
"I'm sorry if I can't give you a higher rank, even after what was told to me, but every time a new adventurer jumps on ranks right away like that people tend to make a fuss asking a bunch of bothersome questions. Everyone here is identified by the rank officially assigned to them from the Adventurer's Guild. The rank is recognized by the material used in one's licensed tag" Lapin explained.
"Sounds like an interesting system, does it show how strong someone is as well?"
"The higher you go in ranks, the more that will be apparent, however. copper means you're a novice who just registered today" Lapin said knowing well he looked nothing like a novice.
Truth be told he was a copper adventurer just because he started today on the guild as one of them, it's only natural to start from the bottom and then work up to the top. No one knew if the person in question was already skilled before turning adventure, maybe they just didn't want to get attention, which made plenty of trouble when others would underestimate the wrong crowd.
"How many Ranks are there then?" Yamcha asked, putting him under the shirt.
"Copper is the lowest one and from there we have Bronze, Iron, Steel, Silver, Gold, Mithril and the highest of them all...Platinum which only one in a hundred adventures ever managed to get" The rabbit-eared demihuman said with emphasis on the last.
'I see. That sounds like something, I wonder how strong someone would be to get that high' The man thought.
"Right now you're only allowed to go to Rank F missions, usually people at that level would only be able to defend themselves against weak monsters such as hornet rabbit or slimes, then again there are other missions besides that. The stronger you get and the higher the rank goes, the harder and more dangerous the mission will get...then again the payment will rise as well" This time he smirks making a universal sign that means money.
"I guess everyone would try to have a go at this profession and get some quick buck huh?"
"Yeah but...unfortunately a lot of them end up underestimating what it means being an adventurer, and a lot of lives are lost due to cockyness, biting more than you can chew you know?" Lapin said more in a sigh of frustration than sadness, some people just never learned from others' mistakes.
The scar-faced man nodded at this, it's easy to get cocky when facing someone weaker than you without thinking of the possibility of losing or overestimating your power and then getting more than what you bargained for. A problem everyone ends up making no matter the experience.
"I should warn you though, I don't mind if you're strong enough to beat a monster above your rank. But some creatures are more unique, so pay attention, every mission that has been already taken has a stamp on it, in case of anyone saying that prey was stolen" The rabbit being finished.
"Makes sense, but hey! How about that boar that I brought up? Is it good enough to sell?"
"That was a C-Rank monster which I still have a hard time believing you did it one go, where a veteran steel adventurer would be able to finish it off...but yeah you can get some good profit out of it" Lapin said.
"Alright!" Yamcha said happily.
"However! Since you made a big hole in its body the amount of money will diminish a bit, after all the best parts of this monster to sell is the metal on his skin. If you want to sell the materials from what you hunt then the best choice is to learn how to defeat them without breaking things like their claws, fangs, or anything useful worth harvesting you get me?" Lapin said, moving his finger.
"Ehhhhh? I-I guess so" Yamcha said, sure he knew that animal parts could be sold but being careful all the time when fighting a beast and not breaking anything too much?
"Don't worry though, you're still going to get a nice amount for your work"
The rabbit demi-human said, bringing a bag full of coins from under his workplace and giving it to Yamcha.
"One hundred twenty copper coins and sixty silver coins for this monster. Sounds fair enough?"
'Is that a lot or less? I don't know much about the weight of metals such as copper or silver though….I feel like the currency I am used to is more...soft but yeah this works' Yamcha thought for a moment but took it anyway.
"You should look up for an Inn and rest now, I bet you're tired from the journey, I know of a good place named Cait Sith. The Owner is someone I know, with the money you have it will be ok for a while but don't get too relaxed ok?" Lapin told the man.
"Thanks, man, that spared me the time to look for somewhere else"
The day had been quite productive so far, he met some nice people, got himself some money after beating up a beast, and now officially employed, having some rest time would be more than welcome right now. It's not like he wouldn't like to stay more and talk, but the longer he stayed then a swarm of questions could drop at him, just running away, for now, was the best idea, it didn't take long to find the spot after asking a few of the citizens for directions.
Everything felt so different like he never saw any of this before...but why was that? Someone as old as him should have memories about this world, then again the pieces were slowly coming into place, memories of training, fighting, and more...hazy but still there. But perhaps a little bit of sleep would be all he needed for things to start making a bit more sense when waking up.
After meeting the Innkeeper and paying for his stay, Yamcha went upstairs with the key to his designated room, the place itself was not luxurious but it was a good and cozy place. A window with curtains for ventilation, a simple wardrobe, a counter with a small mirror, and a single bed to sleep into dreamland and forget about the worries of the day or simply let fatigue be a thing of the past.
After removing his clothes he sighs in relief "I wonder what I will do first tomorrow"
Before going to sleep he looks at himself in the mirror...there wasn't anything wrong with his face. But something told him that there was more to it than meets the eye, almost like the face that had been reflected was not his or...it felt different?
"I wonder what is this feeling, almost like something is out of place...I must be tired, better lay down and sleep"
What will this land full of wonders and new things have in store for the martial artist whose memories seem to be out of place? One thing is for sure, the adventure in another world has just begun.
A\N: DB has shown me dinosaurs and animal people but they always looked too cartoonish and it didn't make me see them as cool or dangerous the same way Demi-Humans are in some Fantasy franchises. They are serious stuff and so are monsters and magic, I promise to make this serious yet funny, give what it deserves.
